Katie took part in various fashion, glamour and promotional photoshoots during her career, including photoshoots for national newspapers. She also conducted a career as a digital television presenter, working principally on web-TV shows and features, on small digital television channels, primarily in the shopping and live-chat fields.
Her life was however turned upside down when, in 2008, an ex-boyfriend with a history of violent behaviour gave information of her whereabouts to another individual, who approached her in the street and threw sulphuric acid in her face. Rushed to the hospital, she was treated with a pioneering skin operation and put into an induced coma, subsequently undergoing more than 40 surgical operations to treat her injuries over the years.
Afterwards, able to communicate only in writing, she gave her parents a note that said: Kill me. Today, Katie is no longer in despair – she has overcome her horrendous injuries to achieve her dreams of being a bona fide television presenter. In a bid to increase the awareness of burn victims she gave up her anonymity, featuring in a documentary My Beautiful Face - Whilst it is a very sad story, Katie changed the way society views burn victims.
More recently, she released a hit seller autobiography, had a regular column in several weekly magazines, and appears on TV regularly. Her primary focus, however, is for her charitable organisation, The Katie Piper Foundation, aimed at raising awareness of the plight of victims of burns and other disfigurement injuries.
Inspirational in every sense of the word, Katie’s story is not easy to listen to, but it’s essential for people to be aware of all its elements, including the dangers of deranged stalkers, never giving up on life, the importance of CCTV – which caught the attackers – and specialist skin treatment.
